Crossing Borders - Building Futures

Connecting People to Restore Just Relations

Join the Restorative Schools Working Group for a free webinar on transforming school culture through relational and restorative practices on the 8th of May at 4 pm CEST. Participants will be the first to receive the publication introduced at the meeting. 

The 13th International Seminar of the EFRJ (Athens, 16-17 May 2025) will focus on the transformative potential of restorative justice to address the vulnerabilities faced by children on the move. From refugees and asylum seekers to those displaced by climate change, these children face heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and discrimination. By drawing on the metaphor of an 'odyssey,' this seminar will explore how restorative practices can create pathways of inclusion, resilience, and empowerment for children on the move while fostering dialogue with host communities. The seminar will take place at the Conference Center of the University of West Attica, and is organised in collaboration with the Department of Social Work and the Centre for the Study of Social and Humanitarian Crises.

Join the 10th edition of our Summer School "Restorative Justice Responses to Harm in Institutions" in San Sebastián/Donostia (Basque Country Spain) between 16-20 June 2025! The event will explore the topic of organisational / institutional harm and the potential of restorative justice in responding to it. With trainers Tim Chapman and Raul Calvo in English & Spanish language. 

¡Únase a la 10.ª edición de nuestra Escuela de Verano «Respuestas de Justicia Restaurativa al Daño en las Instituciones» en San Sebastián/Donostia (País Vasco, España) entre el 16 y el 20 de junio de 2025! El evento explorará el tema del daño organizativo/institucional y el potencial de la justicia restaurativa para responder a él. Con los formadores Tim Chapman y Raúl Calvo en inglés y español.

Why restorative justice matters?

"Restorative justice matters because respect for human dignity matters, solidarity within diverse societies matter, justice matters and truth matters." - Watch Tim Chapman (former Chair of the EFRJ Board) outlining the significance of restorative justice for our societies today in the first part of our short video series. 

Restorative Justice is an approach of addressing harm or the risk of harm through engaging all those affected in coming to a common understanding and agreement on how the harm or wrongdoing can be repaired and justice achieved.
The European Forum for Restorative Justice aims to help establish and develop victim-offender mediation and other restorative justice practices. Every person in Europe should have the right of access to restorative justice services, at any time and in any case.
Want to learn more? Follow these links.

Editors Claudia Christen-Schneider and Emily Molinari introduce the 3rd issue the EFRJ's Newsletter Volume 25 in their Editorial. 

En esta entrevista, el exviceministro de Justicia de Colombia habla sobre el proceso de paz colombiano y la importancia de la justicia restaurativa para abordar el legado del conflicto armado y construir una sociedad más inclusiva.

In this article, Shiri Ourian reflects on the transformative work of the Parents Circle — Families Forum, an organisation uniting bereaved Israelis and Palestinians in the pursuit of reconciliation. Through powerful personal stories of loss and forgiveness, Ourian illustrates how restorative justice can break down deep-seated divisions and foster empathy in the midst of conflict. By emphasising the shared humanity behind the pain of loss, the Parents Circle offers a beacon of hope for a peaceful, justice-centered future, even in the most polarized and violent contexts.

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event

The “Leuven International Short Film Festival” launched a call for submissions including restorative justice as part of the festival’s non-competitive thematic programme! Short films (max. 35 min) can be submitted until 15 August (early bird deadline: 15 April).

policy

Strengthened by research findings as well as practice experiences, the European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) believes that each victim should have the possibility to freely and voluntarily decide to start a safe and high-quality restorative justice process.

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This call serves to update our database on teaching programmes on restorative justice. Please submit your courses by 10 January 2025. Only teaching programmes at the university level will be included on the EFRJ database, but you can always let us know about other teaching (or even training) programmes that can be included in an internal database at the EFRJ Secretariat.